Shloka 3

त्रिवर्गविचारः

Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma

Devanagari script

महानयं धर्मपथो बहुशाखश्न भारत | किंस्विदेवेह धर्माणामनुछ्ठेयतमं मतम्‌

Transliteration

mahān ayaṃ dharmapatho bahuśākhaś ca bhārata | kiṃ svid eveha dharmāṇām anuṣṭheyatamaṃ matam ||

Translation

尤提施提罗说道：“婆罗多啊，此达摩之道广大无边，枝分叶散。于此世间，在诸般义务之中，哪一种被认为最应当奉行？”

Word by Word

महान्great

अयम्this

धर्मपथःpath of dharma

बहुशाखःhaving many branches

नnot

भारतO Bharata

किम्what?

स्वित्indeed / I wonder

एवjust / indeed

इहhere (in this world/teaching)

धर्माणाम्of dharmas / of duties

अनुष्ठेयतमम्most to be practiced

मतम्opinion / view

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhārata

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames dharma as vast and multi-branched, and raises the central ethical problem of prioritization: among many legitimate duties, which is the most essential to practice in lived life.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira—seeking clarity after the war—asks his teacher/interlocutor to identify the foremost practicable dharma amid the many forms and branches of righteous conduct.